Borussia Dortmund midfielder Nuri Sahin admits family made him reject Arsenal move

Dortmund midfielder Nuri Sahin has revealed that he rejected a move to Arsenal in 2005 after his family forbade him to move to England.

The Turkish international has been linked with a move to the Emirates Stadium in the past and in 2012, he chose a loan move to Liverpool over the Gunners after failing to break into the first-team at Real Madrid.

He did not reach the heights expected of him at Anfield and was shipped out to Borussia Dortmund for the remainder of the 2012-13 season, the very club he started his career with.

The former Liverpool midfielder has now revealed that he had a chance to sign for the north London club when he was 17 years old, but went with his family's advice and remained with Dortmund in the Bundesliga.

"When I was in the Under-17s in 2005, Arsenal wanted to sign me with a great bid. My family didn't want me to go England," Sahin said, as quoted by the Mirror.

"They knew that Dortmund would rise again. I'm grateful for this. After the bid, Dortmund realised that I'm valuable," the former Real midfielder added.

Sahin has heaped praise on current Dortmund coach Jurgen Klopp, who kept the faith in the midfielder despite his move to the Spanish capital club.

"The next year Bert van Marwijk put me in the first team. I was only 16. Also [Jurgen] Klopp trusted me. He is a great person."

"He still keeps his humanity in the professional world. When I was in Madrid, he called me many times. We would talk for two to three hours but not about football."

The 26-year-old, who is currently playing for Dortmund, has praised the fans and made it clear that the German club is the only place he feels like home.

"I came to Dortmund when I was 12. I scored my first goal against Schalke with the U-14 team. The Bundesliga fans like loyalty. Dortmund is the only place that I feel at home. Dortmund is my home," the Turkish international explained.